November 10, 2021
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Thanksgiving-Themed Activity to Target /s/ Blends

Do you notice your child saying “mall” for “small” or “wing” for “swing?” While sweet and endearing at a young age, this error, called cluster reduction, is common for children under four years of age. Cluster reduction occurs when a consonant cluster, a combination of two or three consonants, is reduced to a single consonant like “poon” for “spoon.” The /s/ clusters or blends are the most difficult for young children and they may need some extra practice on these sounds!

Research shows that increased productions of the target sound, otherwise known as drill practice, increases accuracy and promotes carryover into everyday life! Who says that drill practice can’t be fun at home? We have created a Thanksgiving-themed activity that you can print out and use with your kids at home. This activity provides multiple opportunities to work on those tricky /s/ blends. Have your child start by saying the /s/ blend at the word level. For increased difficulty, have your child use the word in a sentence. This activity is practical for 1:1 practice with your child or as a fun, interactive game night!

Before you print out the activity, check out this helpful tip for teaching /s/ blends!

Use tactile cues! Have your child place their hand on their shoulder. As they say the /s/ sound, they are going to slide there hand down their arm. When they get to the end, they will tap their hand saying the rest of the word (example: sssssssss + nake). This is a helpful reminder for them to produce the /s/ at the beginning of the word.

Check out the “Say and Dot” printable and directions below! Tom the Turkey wishes you a happy Thanksgiving!

Directions for Dot and Say Activity